Fantasy Swirl
by PrincessPeace15
Summary: Everyone who's ever been a gamer has wondered "How could I get into the world behind my TV screen?" at one point, right? However, 10-year-old Juliet, who has just become a gamer herself, has no idea that it's actually going to happen to her. She ends up in both the worlds of the Mushroom Kingdom and Mobius. What happens when war breaks out between these worlds and Earth?
1. Chapter 1

*Juliet's POV*

It was just an insipid, snow-ridden night in the middle of January. The month where the snow morphs from a beauty to a burden, and spirit is completely nonexistent. The month where you feel most trapped in this "winter wonderland"… and face it, you're praying for the grass to come back.

This month was when I first came upon the journey, at the naïve age of merely 10.

I had walked out to get the mail, for it was a stupid Saturday when I had not much to do at all. I had heard the rustling of the mail lady's feet, so… boredom enhanced my curiosity in such a petty thing.

I looked down to find a package. One that almost seemed to have its fair share of bumps and dents… and was addressed to me.

I took it inside and pierced it with a knife, then delicately opened the flaps.

I was not prepared to be sucked in. I was not prepared for a new sort of gravity to yank me into a portal that seemed to pierce the fabrics of time and space.

No, I'm serious. Out of thin air, some weird hole opened up above the opening of the box. I was only able to see it for a second. It appeared to twinkle with the dots of a million stars, but I couldn't really think much of it.

The next thing I knew, I was flung through something with a force that could make me and something else into a black hole, then ended up confusedly looking around at new surroundings, freaking out to the max.

Why was the sky as blue as it should have been? Why was the grass an unwavering green, sporting an almost animatic-like shadow?

Most importantly… why were there mushroom-like trees growing off in the distance?

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><p><strong>Author's note: It's not the best piece of work… but this is certainly going to be one hell of a crossover! It's based on only part of my adolescence. I've been in love with MANY fictional characters over the years, so… that's what gave me this idea.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

I got up, still trying to make sense of it all. The bright colors, the… everything. The atmosphere even felt a little cleaner.

I walked around a bit and felt a smile begin to emerge. Hey… this world wasn't half bad! There were beautiful trees and a cheerful scenery. Besides, I was starting to get a sense that I actually knew where I was.

And that's when something just about grabbed my elbow. In shock, I turned around, seeing nothing.

"W-Wha?" I reacted.

"Down here!" a strange voice called from the ground. Not only strange in presence, but strange in itself.

So I looked down and saw a familiar mushroom person. He had red dots on his otherwise white mushroom… cap thingy.

I knew it. And I couldn't believe it. At that point in my life, not much could be said on behalf of excitement, but… excitement was storming within me. I held back quite a few screams.

…Oh, this was a Toad. Yeah, forgot to throw that out there.

"You look startled," the Toad worried.

"Uh… yeah," I laughed. "Is this the Mushroom Kingdom?"

"We're on the outskirts," the Toad answered. "Are you a weary traveler from afar? You're a human, like Princess Peach!"

There was definitely no kidding now.

"I don't quite know," I stammered. "I just got sucked through some sort of portal thingy from a package, and here I am."

"Woah, really?!" the Toad exclaimed. "If something like that happened to you, we must go to Dr. Toadley before I take you to the castle. He's a philosopher as well as a doctor. Perhaps he can figure something out."

I then found myself following the Toad through the streets of a small village, with mushroom huts and yellowed walkways, before going with him into a purple mushroom hut.

These things were definitely bigger from the inside. It looked like a hospital waiting room, actually. There were chairs lined up back to back, and a desk with a few Toadette-like nurses bustling about.

"…Greetings," one of them marveled after looking up and catching sight of us. "You bring a foreign traveler?"

"Very strange, isn't it?" the Toad beside me sighed, shaking his head. "We need to see Dr. Toadley. The traveler claims she's been sucked through a portal to end up here."

The nurse's eyes widened a bit.

"Yes!" she replied. "Right away! Right down the hallway on the right, sir and madam!"

As I followed the Toad down a darkened, eerie hallway, I began to think back and realize that the nurse seemed a little startled. The worry in her voice was contagious. Should I question my safety?, I wondered. Was I a bad omen?

We stopped when we came upon an older Toad in a purple cloak. Certainly, this must have been the fellow we were searching for.

And his laboratory… it could make the most modern and sophisticated scientist just a bit envious. There were flasks filled with magic and laid out in neat rows on shelves that almost touched the ceiling. Behind Dr. Toadley was a huge machine of some sort. It wasn't clear as to what its function was.

"I'm glad you've responded so quickly," he spoke to the Toad. "I need to know every detail about how this happened." He turned to me. "Young lady. How old are you, to begin with?"

"I'm 10," I replied.

"Ah, very young, indeed," he sighed. "How did you get here?"

"See, I got a package in the mail," I explained. "…It's simple. I opened it up, and this weird portal sucked me in, and then I was on the outskirts of the Mushroom Kingdom."

"Oh, my," he marveled. "Did you catch the return address?"

"…No, sir," I sighed.

"You shouldn't have," he nodded. "For there isn't one."

"Dr. Toadley!" the Toad exclaimed. "You know about this?"

"It was a phenomena only mentioned as a plausible legend," Dr. Toadley explained. "It told of a traveler from the planet Earth, who'd end up here and be launched through a tunnel of turmoil for the next 6 or 7 years of their life. The girl may just be the victim."

"W-What type of turmoil?" the Toad shuddered.

"Oh, awful, awful things," Dr. Toadley said, shaking his head solemnly. "Something within her will be broken and mended repeatedly. Her world will come crashing down around her eventually. That's where the legend ends. Who knows whether the world will repair itself?"

I was officially frozen with fear.

"You mean our world is going to be destroyed?!" the Toad panicked.

Dr. Toadley merely laughed.

"What's so funny?" asked the Toad.

"Oh, my boy," Dr. Toadley smiled. "Are you not old enough? Therefore, are you not mature enough to see it? I think not. I think the same for the girl. Go on and take her to Princess Peach's castle. She'll learn in time. Oh, she'll learn."

"…Well," said the Toad, clearly shaken to the core, yet not hesitant to lead me out of the building. "He's right. Let's meet the princess. I wonder if she'll be kind enough to lend you a place in her castle."

I merely followed him, definitely keeping a close eye on my safety. Was I going to die?, I wondered. I feared death. I could almost sense death.

But it would turn out to be deaths and rebirths of a significant difference.

My heart was just about to go past its speed limit when we approached the front gates of the castle.

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><p><strong>Author's note: Almost 1,000 words! Almost! When I was first writing on , I <strong>_**averaged **_**2,000. What happened? Either way, I would **_**greatly **_**appreciate reviews! Is Fantasy Swirl all for naught?**


	3. Chapter 3

The place stood so elegantly. Big and tall… quite assertively for a castle.

"Well, come on," the Toad said, motioning for me to come inside. "Don't be shy."

So shyly, I paced through the tall doors, meeting elegance at an impossible level. Flags and carpets were laid out everywhere, the place was clean to the last inch, and… this was a castle of the utmost importance.

I did catch sight of a man whilst walking past a room. This man… well, he'd play a role, alright.

As I followed the Toad, he motioned for me to be quiet. We ended up walking past a very important meeting. I heard Princess Peach's voice presenting information… and then, I saw him.

Mario.

Of course, being an Earthling gamer-in-training, I knew Mario.

But seeing him here… brought something new about me. A high sense… as if dreamy clouds of magic were flooding my heart. A smile crept onto my usually grinless face.

I let out a sigh that I had never sighed before. One that seemed to announce ecstasy. Mario's eyes were so beautiful, and… as we were walking away… I heard his voice. Oh, it was so handsome…

Wait… what was this?

"They're addressing a serious matter in there, so I can't get ahold of the princess at the moment," said my guide Toad. "There's a serious disease called the Blorbs spreading amongst us Toads. You don't have to worry, for you are human… but me? That's a different story."

I was seriously just concerned with meeting Mario. Had he changed at all to make him… the attractive thing he was now?


	4. Chapter 4

The Toad led me down long, carpeted passageways until we finally reached what I thought was the princess's bedroom at first. It was darkened despite the single window that took a huge chunk out of the northern wall. The bed was neatly made with pink and white sheets, and something was true that I had always dreamed of in a bedroom: there was lots of space.

Sleep that night was memorable… for my dreams starred Mario. How he spoke so seductively and delicately to me within them… It's still a mystery as to how something so exciting could have been wished by my heart at such a young age.

Or was I really that… young anymore?

I'd soon find out that romantic insanity spanned farther than just myself.

It's true. Everything went like a fairytale: no hardships… no real life rules applied whatsoever.

I STILL don't get it!

I figure out that things were going to go like a charm the morning after I awoke from my first bout of those dreams. Literally.

Actually… I must admit, I was so entranced that after eating a hearty breakfast, I pranced throughout the castle, searching for him. I could barely control myself and my thoughts… for love was new to me. A new concept. Something totally unknown before. I wanted him… and not even in that filthy way, either. I just wanted to feel him kiss me, I believe. The mustache was no bother.

I remember that as I turned down one corridor, I came upon a rather unfortunate citizen. Then, the memory of where I had _exactly _seen Mario came rushing back. A meeting regarding a pandemic. A pandemic that this poor Toad was unfortunately a victim of, I knew. I knew it the instant that he both didn't look right and did look miserable.

"My… bod," he groaned in pure agony, sitting as a bloated mass against the wall. "What do I do now?!"

Back then… I was shy to the max. Others were not necessarily my enemies… but my weaknesses.

Yet that almost subsided when I approached this Toad. I still can't believe it myself.

"That stinks," I sighed. "…I-Is there anything I can… do?"

"No, but thank you much," the Toad replied, almost smiling for a second. "You'll see a lot like me out on the streets."

Strange. Was I too caught up in getting to Dr. Toadley's place to see anyone going through the same agony?

"I can only hope for a cure," he sighed sadly, staring up at the ceiling as if it was the only way his eyes could go.

As the moon glinted off of the fogged windows around me, I had to accept that going any further at once would get me lost. Lost within this palace of a castle that was definitely a lot more gigantic from the inside.

I headed back to my room and sat down on the bed… jumping in my spot.

I had just put a hand on someone else's leg. An oddly familiar leg as well.

Where had he come from?


	5. Chapter 5

Before I could fully recover from what had just happened, I knew the being had gotten up. Oh, dear… Had I creeped the person out? I already knew one thing despite these being the first moments of my waking love life: Giving a bad first impression was like the poison to my chances.

But then, the light came on. It flooded the room, making the outside world appear to be an endless void, filled with nothing but a vast multitude of twinkles.

But who had switched the light on?

I looked over and saw him. He was here after I had been looking for him all day. With red cheeks and a gradually declining composure, I had to be ready.

There was Mario. His blue eyes shone like sapphires against the artificial light that glowed from above. They stared… directly at me. In a way that I had never seen them before, not even before I had gotten here.

Somehow… I knew it was good. And somehow, it's only now that I remember that he had a sly smile on his face. Back then, I could never see anything below that opaque mustache.

Within the next sweeping moment, he came back and sat down next to me, an amplified version of that same look on his face. What was that thing in the way he stared that made me realize that for once… my dreams were coming true?

And… what did he even want from me?

Oh, do I certainly know now.

"Hi, Mario!" I smiled cheerily. "What do you need?"

Then, everything both collapsed and came together at the same time.

"You!" he replied, getting a rosy shade on his face and wrapping his arms around me.

Woah, right?! That's what I would have thought if love was a mastered topic. I had been introduced to it for literally 24 hours, so all I knew to do was to wrap my arms around him as well and stare back into his eyes. At the same time, I was perplexed. I had so much to learn, and even I knew it! My oblivion on the topic would prove… I'll save that for later.

"W-What do you mean?" was all I could ask, restraining myself from kissing his irresistibly cute face right then and there.

Still, I had yet to be amazed.

"I love you, Juliet," he said more confidently than I had expected. "You're beautiful, you're sweet… You're everything I've been searching for."

Oh, how I would have asked how he knew this when he had seen me so little. Or… had he seen me very little at all? Regardless of what the answer was, my heart demanded that I just bask in the moment and refrain from asking questions. This was all I needed, it insisted.

Sure… Someone who I've truly barely met, who was now staring at me with passionate eyes, was all I needed. Good going, 10-year-old heart…

I guess this was also true because the next moment came just as suddenly. I realized that he had his hand cupped around the right side of my face. Just a few seconds after that realization came to be… you guessed it.

His lips were kissing mine… and passionately. I just went with it and realized that kissing… really wasn't that hard. It was so new… yet so warm, enriching, and happy. I loved it.

Once we finally broke apart, he looked even more sincerely in my eyes and asked "Will you be mine, Juliet?"

"Yes," I nodded, almost cutting him off. "I will be yours, forever and ever! I love you so much!"

…Oh, 10-year-old heart… What have you done? Without you, would my journey even have happened? When I think about it now, I remember just how young I was… and just how wrong it was for everything to sweep by so quickly…

Then… I believe we made out for an hour or so. That's as simply as I can put it. No, we never went THERE… but if I remember correctly, I think we got rather close to that point. By making out, I mean passionate kissing, but… Ugh, who knew what he was thinking?

Point is this. We were together. Super Mario was my first boyfriend.

Oh, but it didn't stop there.

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><p><strong>DISCLAIMER: I have NO experience with kissing. Anything I've said about the experience is purely my take on what others have projected. I am Forever Alone.<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**AUTHOR'S WARNING: If you see innocence in Mario, I suggest you turn away from this chapter. It WILL ruin that for you. Mario is shed in a different light than ever before: the light I see him in. The Don't Like, Don't Read policy is officially in effect for this fanfiction.**

* * *

><p>According to exactly what I was expecting (surprisingly), I actually got a lot of support regarding my relationship with Mario from whoever worked in the castle.<p>

Yeah, I never really left. I didn't quite understand it eventually; I was almost treated like the Mushroom Kingdom's second royal being, even though I knew I had NO such role. Everyone brought me my food and other necessities. I literally never HAD to leave the castle. Whenever I did, and wherever I went, Toads of all personalities and colors would politely ask how my day was.

But the romance within my life would end up manipulating itself in a cruel, corrupt way… and eventually, that would cause it to rot and eventually collapse.

See… Mario had to kiss me _every _night. Makeout sessions began to feel… routine. No, I'm being serious.

It continued like this for three years. A huge jump in time. I grew from oblivious to aware. From a child to an official teenager.

And that September… when I was actually a little less than three months from the age of fourteen, the "romantic" agenda that Mario always had prepared was beginning to get a little annoying.

At first, romance was still fresh in my head, so I tried to deny it. His eyes were so beautiful and bright. Kissing him, after all, _was _an exciting experience… at first.

But then, the truth began to settle in. Was… that really it?

Then came the night that would prove me correct.

It was just another beautiful night. I was staring out of the window, and Mario had his arms around my shoulder. Somehow, it still warmed my heart. The chill of autumn was beginning to introduce itself and nudge its way into the air between the lingering heat.

Then, I noticed that Mario's hands were moving and began to feel as if something was off.

Indeed, something was beginning to come off.

"Woah!" I said, wriggling myself out of his grasp and rearranging my shirt. "I'm… not sure if I'm quite ready for that yet."

Here's where the love's condition officially began to fall downhill.

"Aw, come on," he whined. "We've been together for three years now, and we haven't done it yet!"

Passionate truth wasn't even that evident in his voice. It almost seemed to growl with the lust growing within him. What WAS this?!

Passing by those Toads in town that were fortunate enough to have a romantic partner did not go unheeded whatsoever. Over the three years that I was living in a lie, I had watched many dating and kissing couples out of the corner of my eye… and I had learned things. I picked up on everything rather quickly.

Even before that September night, I had learned that these Toads and Toadettes were looking into each other's eyes when they were taking a breather. I didn't catch one makeout session that was nearly as serious as the ones that Mario had put in my routine.

I had heard one Toad tell his Toadette something that caught my attention.

"Oh, Toadette," he had sighed dreamily. "I love everything about you. The way your laugh gets up to those high pitches when something's really funny. The way you're always lending a helping hand to those who need it. The way you make a pencil glide across paper to make the only art I'll ever see as divine. The way your pigtails flutter in the breeze. Everything about you… is perfect."

And what did Mario ever say to me?

It was either "You're so hot," or "I love you so much." He never really elaborated.

And _he _had never looked deeply into my eyes. Perhaps occasionally, but mostly… it was at the rest of me.

And it all came back to bite me tonight. It makes me wonder how he had managed to hold back for so long. Something tells me that I actually don't want to know.

Regardless, that was it. This thing I thought was "love" was dead.

"I don't know," I replied nervously, backing up a bit.

"Juliet," said Mario. "Please?" He got uncomfortably close to me, and I was sitting on the bed, so I really had nowhere to run.

"I don't want to yet!" I said seriously. "We don't have the right materials to do it safely! I don't want children!"

That's when he applied a bit of force on my arms. He just wasn't going to stop, wasn't he?

As his hands went under my shirt again, it clicked. Mario was a prince no longer. He was just a dirty man… trying to carry out what men carry out.

And I had had enough. Congratulations, Juliet… You've graduated Part 1 of Romance Class.

I kicked him in the one place he had been trying to put into action. As he winced, I was able to get free and run out of the room.

I held the door just far enough so that I could shout "We're through!" I then slammed it and began to run for another room.

As my feet tapped against the linoleum floors, I heard a female voice call "What is the matter?"

I stopped sharply… turning to my left and seeing Princess Peach, in a long pink pajama gown, staring at me worriedly.

She continued "…Did Mario do something to you?"

"…Yes," I sighed, walking over to her. "He tried to do…"

"No…" said the princess. "…You two had been together for so long. I always had this gut feeling that it'd all come crashing down."

"I'm sorry," I then sighed. "Don't you love him? Did I steal your love from you?"

Then, Peach sighed shakily.

"I would have said that… if you were asking me just about _five _years ago. He tried the same thing with me. That's it. I'm banishing him from the castle. You're still welcome to stay here, Juliet. You can sleep on the floor of my room tonight."

"Thank you!" I said.

Sleeping in the same room as other people was always awkward… but it was certainly a relief compared to the pure _violation_ that had taken place earlier. Peach had just forced Mario out of the castle, and it was one of the happiest sights I had seen in a long time.

But little did I know where I was to go next.

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><p><strong>Author's note: TRUST me, this would look so much different if I had the bravery to write lemon (a.k.a. smut).<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

The peace only lasted for a few days. Only a few days did the most precious relief I had ever known thus far survive.

The man was gone. The man who had lured me into a trap and kept me there, sitting in a cage of a lie for _3 years_, while too shrouded in oblivion to realize the truth until I was about to be violated and impregnated.

I remember the day that things changed again. The sun was setting as calmly as it ever could on a constantly beautiful horizon. Peach's room was extremely shaded, but with the remaining light, I could still see her face. We were like two BFFs for the time that we knew each other. It was different… but I liked it. I could express the sorrow that came out of my struggle of oblivion and ask whatever I wanted… and that's what I did on this perfectly shaded evening.

"Everything will be alright now, I assure you," she told me. "He's been tried in court for sexual assault, and I believe he's been thrown in jail by now."

"Great!" I smiled. "…Hey, Peach?"

"Yes?"

I was about to ask a question that had been bugging my curiosity for several days now. I was too caught up in my "love" for Mario to realize it was there, but… I found it. Otherwise, I would have asked much earlier. Such a deep question.

So I asked "Would you happen to know why I was brought here? To the Mushroom Kingdom?"

At this, Peach sighed.

"I know a few things," she tried to explain. "It was actually up in the air as to whether you were even going to arrive here. I figured you weren't… so that's why I couldn't give you a formal introduction."

"Why would you need to give me a formal introduction anyway?" I asked. "I'm just a girl!"

"Just a girl?" Peach reacted. "It may seem so. Juliet… You were brought here because there's more to you than what meets the eye. Earth was NOT treating you to the standards by which we needed them to, so you will no longer need their company. There's a whole other world that needs you. More importantly… a weary traveler… the savior of our very universe as we know it… needs you by his side more than anyone else ever will."

Then, the world rattled. Both within myself and all around me. Now I knew. Knowing was half the… excitement.

…But literally, it was like an earthquake had stricken the area. I could hear the shelves rattle, and the princess gasp worriedly as she ran to the window. As she stared intently at the outside world, she didn't move. She was almost like the subject of a picture.

Then, she spoke.

"…Go."

"W-Why?" I asked.

"GO! You're not safe here!"

"Why not?!"

"It's Bowser! I know those things on his ship! Leave! NOW!"

"Things on the ship" was probably what provoked me to get myself out of there. The room was surprisingly close to the front doors of the castle, which actually seemed more like a giant, artistic hole in the wall than anything.

I ran out to the bridge over the moat… then met the quite-near-deafening sound of chains, and then… the Earth-quaking impacts of what appeared to be metal tether-like things on the bottom of those chains. I just about fell over, but realized what was happening and dove for land, where hundreds of Toads were standing, panicking.

I turned around and joined them in their terror. The castle… literally being lifted from the ground.

"PRINCESS!" I called out almost instinctively.

Not a word to be said from anything or anyone from within. Had the poor thing… accepted her fate?

That would have been a matter if it weren't for the next Toad that tugged on my arm. I looked down… and saw that it was Dr. Toadley.

"You must leave the kingdom," he shuddered. "Before Bowser sees you!"

I felt bad, and he must have picked up on this.

"If he sees you, he will most definitely go for you instead!" he explained. "You are more powerful than you may feel, Juliet. Nobody knows the number of people who know this. That number can include a multitude of fiends. Head for the forest to the south of the kingdom!"

Feeling the reality of everything starting to close in on me, I fought my way through the crowd, then proceeded to do said running toward the huge trees of a forest that I knew would hide me… even from Bowser and his clown ship.

I eventually fell face-first on the ground. Mostly from tripping on a log, but partly from fatigue. I was under an opaque canopy of leaves.

Then, the voice. That was the hand that turned my book to the next chapter of my insane love story. The voice was sinister, and I knew that it was generically bad news.

"Oh, you poor thing," it chuckled from an angle that my eyes could not achieve. "Allow me to help you out."


	8. Chapter 8

"Tell me who you are first!" I cried.

"You'll know soon enough."

At that, I heard footsteps rustle against the snow that froze about the ground. After that, a hand grabbed mine, and I was being pulled to a kneeling position. A gloved hand.

Gloved? That brought the cringe that came with a quick flashback. Wait… That voice did NOT belong to Mario. It was sinister. It almost buzzed, not like a robot, but almost like an eagle strumming a high and extremely varied guitar string. It dove into depths and soared back up, like the voice of someone evil.

Because it was.

"I may as well ask, my dear," it said. "…Are you alright?"

That's when I turned my head to finally see him. His mask rang a bell in my head. I just couldn't figure out what name that bell rested under.

His face was a mask. He had some sort of hat that almost fanned out like a… fan. It and his shawl were striped with the alternating colors of purple and yellow. He wore black pants and pointy black shoes.

…Were those eyes and a mouth? Or were they seriously just holes into a yellow, black, and red oblivion?

Whatever it was, it creeped me out. It sent shivers up my arms.

"Does anything hurt?" he asked. As kindly as he asked it, his voice still seemed to spell bad news.

But now that I was recovering a bit… I realized that my ankle did hurt a bit. It was a little more than usual as well. Not enough to convince me that I had seriously injured it at all… but enough for me to respond about it.

"Yeah," I nodded. "My ankle. Just a bit, though."

At that, the man raised his left hand up, shook his fingers in a magical manner, and produced sparks of a deep red color. My back tickled, as if they were landing on me.

My pain was gone. This dude was a magician.

He had to have been a magician. That shawl… that hat… They were colorful, even while decked out in only two separate colors. His shoes almost looked as if they were crafted by a wizard. His mask was almost… kinda cute. His voice… Every articulation it made was another different type of shiver for me.

All of a sudden, this mystery jester of a man… enchanted me.

"What is your name?" I asked, feeling the desperation to know well up inside me.

"Dimentio," he chuckled. "Master of dimensions and pleaser of crowds. Thank you for asking. You are without a single place to go, seeing as your previous home was just lifted into the sky by that blubbering turtle of an enemy, yes?"

"…Yes," I chuckled a bit. I liked this guy's way of putting things.

"Why, then, it is me you must follow!" Dimentio continued.

A bubble of skepticism tried to make its way through my mind's throat. However… Man, I didn't know what it was, but my mind didn't burp it. My mind was with Dimentio.

I found myself instantly in a new place. A new… dimension of sorts. How he did that, I still struggle to figure out. We were just… there. I was actually kinda scared for a second. Would I ever make it out of here?

Dimentio could be trusted, my mind chanted to me. Trust him. You'll be fine.

There's more to this than I've revealed, and it is a sudden burst of insane.


	9. Chapter 9

"This is a dimension of my own _magnificent _creation," Dimentio said impressively. "I like to call it Dimension D! If you would appreciate a nice, new place to call home, this is the location that I so heartily suggest for you."

A green room? So much for a dimension… Was this really all it was? Just a lonely, empty green room?

"Just a room, you think?" Dimentio continued. "Usually, it is exactly that! Allow me to show you that it will no longer be exactly that!"

At that, with a snap of his fingers, magic worked again. It worked to cut out a symmetrical rectangle in the wall. That rectangle then… disappeared. Into thin air. Gone.

What WAS this?!

"Ta-da!" said Dimentio. "Dimension D is connected directly to my home, Castle Bleck! Or will be my home…" His voice went down to a murmur. "Until everything goes to plan." His voice rose back up to normal. "Ahem… Castle Bleck is your home as well! Feel free to roam about! Run into any of the other minions I've been forced- BLESSED to work with! Until later, dearest lady."

At that, a rectangle was stretched out around his entire body. That rectangle flipped a couple of times… causing him to disappear.

Hmm… Dimentio… dimensions… Bleck… This was all strangely familiar. Not familiar enough, though… A video game I saw someone play?

Yeah. It was called Super Paper Mario, right?

Oh, yeah! It all came back! But… if what I remembered was true… why was Dimentio still attached in any way to Castle Bleck? How was he still standing?

The world was basically like a video game at the moment. Nothing left in my location, and only one other location to venture to. Oh, the door to Castle Bleck definitely isn't the way to go. Ha!

I stepped carefully toward the door, staring at the darkness inside. This darkness wasn't anything seriously ominous. In fact… I kinda liked it. I knew the castle's design: darkness outlined with white. Almost like a lace creation.

But… where was home? It was here… but it didn't feel to be here.

Where can I possibly get more of Dimentio's _sweetly _menacing voice?!

Probably through this door, I guess.

…Wait… Did Dimentio appear to be a weary traveler? I had been sincerely told that a weary traveler was the one who needed me by his side…

Dimentio was so handsome… It had to be him! He had _traveled _to find me, then _traveled _through space and time to get me here! It HAD to be!

…Did it have to be?


	10. Chapter 10

I took careful steps, officially into Castle Bleck. From behind a screen, the darkness embedded into the walls was merely something that I figured to be a rather unique stroke of creativity. Here… it made my insides feel like a void. Eerie and… empty, this place was.

Nevertheless, white contours were scattered about, still outlining ways for me to travel.

There, I stood, where a multitude of different possible pathways would intersect. There were about six different doors advertising whatever lied behind them. Which door should I choose? Was everything here… truly the same? Would I run a risk of getting myself hopelessly lost so that nobody could find me?

Hushed murmuring came from one of the doors across the room.

I decided on what was closest and turned around to head toward the door to the right of the one back to Dimension D.

However, when my ears finally comprehended clear words out of that murmuring from across the way, a foot that was about to advance me forward retreated back, so that I simply stood.

Those words came from a devilish male voice.

"I just don't understand why Dimentio thought it would be a good idea to bring that girl here."

I quietly tiptoed to the staircase and hid behind it, physically trying to perk my ears up.

"I agree," said a female voice. "Dimentio's only dragged her into a predicament that will have to result in her death if we want… all worlds to be destroyed successfully."

My heart just about stopped.

"Her death?" the male voice inquired confusedly. "I understand we don't need her, but… everyone, especially everyone with an evil soul, wants her. Everyone in the evil community would kill to have her as their own, and all because she has an intelligence that can only come with someone from the Milky Way Galaxy. Any evil genius could use her to expand their damages further than anyone has ever dared to before! I'd hate to crush that with a swipe of my scepter…"

"Count Bleck," the female voice countered. "You do know that, uh… the Void has opened, like, in every galaxy, right? ALL worlds are being destroyed. Yeah, she'll die at the peak of it all… but it's just too early to wait. Our castle is just a castle, so… like… she could just find the front door and book it. Rat us out. The four heroes know nothing yet."

"Oh, dear…" said the male voice. "…That is true. Well, then… she will have to die immediately. What a pity."

Carefully, I tiptoed past the room until I reached the door next to the one all of these ominous details were flowing from. Then, I pushed it open as quietly as I could, which turned out to end in failure. As in the fact that the door sounded as if it was dragging along the ground. On the bright side, they could pass it off as Mimi, O'Chunks, or Dimentio passing through.

But since death was trying to grab me by the collar all of a sudden, fate was not to be tempted if I wanted to keep my head.

As soon as I stepped into the long corridor, I took a breath… then booked it. My limbs had almost never been on my side in athletic situations. I couldn't hang on a cliff if I were to slip into one. Once I fell… goodbye, world. And my legs, which were the limbs in question at this moment. Yeah, they were stronger, but they almost felt like long boulders when it came to running.

But there must be a surprising capability added to you when death is trying to grab you by the collar, huh? I just dashed, not necessarily focusing on anything else.

And I probably would have gotten closer to hope as well… if a new, yet familiar one hadn't stepped out into the middle of the way from a room which reeked with the fragrance of food.

O'Chunks, the brawny one with the facial hair. What a sight to behold: O'Chunks, holding a bowl of neatly-made ice cream! I stopped in my tracks. Yeah, I had considered continuing to run. What if everyone in this castle knew to come after my head?

There was barely a slit of space left in front of me. He was a big guy! You know that, right?

Besides, a shock-driven series of events played out. O'Chunks spun around and saw me, and in surprise, he lost hold of the bowl of ice cream.

Therefore, it made contact with my face.

Shocked with the cold, I quickly tore the bowl from my face and held it in my hands. A few bits of ice cream seeped in between my lips.

The stuff was unusually slimy… but the vanilla essence of the ice cream cast magic all throughout my mouth. Man… for plain ice cream… this was the best ever!

However… I could almost feel a switch get flicked within me…

"Oh, I-I'm terribly sorry, lass!" O'Chunks panicked. "You scared me, I lost control, and… don't scare me like that!"

As with any situation of this caliber, anger was a rarity.

"It's fine," I laughed, licking more ice cream off of what my tongue could reach between sentences. "…Oh my goodness gravy, this stuff is dang good! What's it made of?"

My memory suddenly told me that I had felt different during my time here… but now, I felt exactly like I did when I was in that forest by the Mushroom Kingdom. This delectable dessert had robbed me of a… dreamy heart essence…

At least O'Chunks was apologetic and _not _out for my blood.

"It's actually just normal ice cream," O'Chunks smiled proudly. "But it's lathered with Slimy Extract, which has the power to lift all curses!"

That explained it.

That explained this new old feeling.

I had felt as if I was surfing on air. Air riddled with unicorn magic. I had stepped out of Dimension D, hoping to find Dimentio and talk to him some more. His intelligent, yet evil tone… it enchanted me. He, himself, was the shortest hunk alive.

Now… why _had _he brought me here? Listening to Count Bleck and who I presumed to be Nastasia had made this question rise within myself. I thought, perhaps, that they desired to have me on the team as well.

Apparently, it was all Dimentio's doing. I felt used. Unnecessarily tagging along.

Dimentio no longer… interested me.

And I realized this as soon as I consumed just a drop of this Slimy Extract… which lifted _curses_…

My romantic interest in Dimentio was a curse… That tingly feeling I got on my back before we came here! I started _liking him then_! That evil magician… Maybe he desired me as more than a comrade?

If I have to be put under mind control to love you… you're not the one.

"Hey," said O'Chunks. "Are you alright, lass?"

Indeed, I had been spaced out in my spot.

"Yeah," I nodded, searching for a space that I could squeeze through.

"You're the gal Dimentio brought 'ere, right?" said O'Chunks.

"Yeah," I nodded. "It was great meeting you. Excuse me…"

I stepped closer, trying to show him that I wanted to get through. I was successful, for he stepped to his right. Quickly, I slipped through and began to walk further down this hallway.

"Where're ya goin'?" asked O'Chunks. "All that's that way is the front door."

To myself, I thanked O'Chunks. Yes… I was home free.

Then, I took a breath and got up to a running pace. Pretty soon, I saw the door and pushed it aside… being met with an outside world that was also just darkness with white contours.

"Wait a minute…" I heard O'Chunks say. "…Count! The lass Dimentio brought here… She's gotten away!"

So there was no choice but for me to run.

Through an eternity of negative space, my feet took me. As soon as I was a distance where the castle wasn't visible behind me, I looked around. That was when I heard that door slam open and Count Bleck shout "Off with her head! Find her!"

Death was now chasing me, so I continued to run.

Within a short while, my fatigue caught up with me. So much for this "second wind" that runners were blessed with… I couldn't go on any longer.

I tried to inch on, even through the pain. My lungs felt as if they were bleeding profusely, and all of me hurt.

Just as my hearing was somewhat shot due to that pre-collapse stage, I thought I could hear a high-pitched voice call "Juliet!"

I looked up, catching sight of a rainbow butterfly. Okay, my conscience was about to give out… Were my eyes messing with me?

I dared not to speak loudly. One word could exploit my location and give death a direct path.

Wait…

"…Tippi? Tiptron?" I asked with a shaking whisper. "Is that really you?"

"Yes," a voice said back. "It's Tippi!"

She didn't even question how I knew her name. Was I seriously famous?

"We're going back to Flipside, okay?" she asked, her voice seeming to shake itself. "They want you dead, I know. I saw it happen."

"Thank you," I smiled.

"Ready?" asked Tippi.

"Hurry!" I said, daring to be a little louder.

Before I knew it, the world around me was lighter. Man, flipping through dimensions was like traveling at the speed of sound without millions of pounds of force slamming into you. We were just in Deathland, and now, we were in Flipside.

"Quickly, follow me," said Tippi. "There's someone who wants to see you who knew that I knew that you were in trouble. He says you're in dire danger for another reason that actually has nothing to do with… that."

She looked out to the sky… where there was the black Void that drew purple and black squares into it. The swallower of all worlds.

"I worry about that, too," Tippi sighed shakily. "I must find the four heroes. In fact… I-I'm sorry, but I must leave you now! There isn't a minute to waste. He knows what you look like. Not surprising, since you're widely known for being the girl from Milky Way… but he's in a black cloak, and he's waiting by one of the elevators on the first floor."

At that, she left. Not another word to be said.

A sign that waited patiently behind me read "Flipside: Floor 2."

I looked around until I found the elevator with the downward-pointing arrow. Just a minute later found me getting off the elevator at Floor 1. About to come face-to-face with my transportation to the most meaningful leg of my journey.

But did I still have people after my head? Dimentio had the power to travel through dimensions…

Nah. At least, that's what I thought when I met that shady hedgehog under the cloak… awaiting me by the other elevator…

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: When this goes up... YESTERDAY was the one-year anniversary of when I joined Fanfiction!<strong>


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's note: I am SO sorry that I pretty much flat-out forgot to publish Chapter 10. I didn't even realize it until I started my fanfiction-writing ritual, which begins with looking at the previous week's chapter. Well… it's up now, and so is this! January 2****nd**** was my one-year anniversary of being here.**

* * *

><p>*Dimentio's POV*<p>

I learned it all that night.

The Count was pacing back and forth, seeming to fret himself into a panic, muttering "What am I going to do?" and "She'll tell everyone" and "I'm doomed…"

"…Count," I interjected quite worriedly. "What seems to be the matter?"

Then, he froze for a second. Then, he looked at me… and contorted his face into a cold stare.

"_You_…" he growled. "…You've unknowingly ruined everything! That girl you brought here has escaped the castle, and we all hunted for her, but she seems to have escaped our dimension!"

"WHAT?!" I shouted. "Why would the beautiful thing want to get away?! I put her under the dreamiest of romantic spells, and I knew that she had fallen into its trap! How could this happen?"

At that, O'Chunks popped in.

"…Count?" he said bashfully. "I, er… have a confession to make. I figured it out. The lass scared me into dropping the ice cream that was in my hand. It landed on her face…" He trailed off worriedly.

We both stared at him intensely.

"…What did you put in that ice cream, you dastardly fool?" I growled.

"See, that's the thing," O'Chunks said with a laugh that sung fear. "It was lathered with... S-Slimy Extract. It enhances the vanilla flavor, and I just now realized that it lifts curses and a curse was… kinda keepin' her here…"

The poor man went to bed with a scar on his temple, worked into his skin by the magic that was cast by my hand. Only one spell could be worked out; after that, my rage blinded my sense of comprehension to the point where not a word was to be spoken for a while.

She was gone forever, and simply because of the endless possibilities of her location. I only knew one dimension that she was not at… one out of millions. It crushed me knowing that that one dimension was mine…

*Juliet's POV*

The body that lurked beneath the cloak was standing, yet resting casually against the elevator. It didn't move, so I tried to disguise my breath as I stared at the face that hid beneath the darkness.

Had he been waiting so long that he had dozed off? It appeared so. His black-furred eyes were closed, and the red highlights around them were severely shaded by the cloak's shadow.

Then, suddenly, he opened his eyes just a bit, but enough that I could see the crimson in them. The crimson that had a casually-reflected speck of the Flipside light.

Of course, when he noticed that I was staring into them, his eyes widened, and he jumped a bit.

"Shadow?" I asked curiously.

Indeed, it was. It had to be. As far as I knew, nobody else had those shoes that allowed him to skate on any terrain…

"So you've arrived at last," he said confidently. "Listen, you could potentially be in grave danger. Doctor… er… an evil genius from my world will be arriving here soon to try to manipulate that void in the sky. He is working hard to try to find you at the same time. We need you at Mobius."

Those last five words were somehow some of the best ever to hit my ears.

Then, he said "I need you to hold my hand for a second. No questions."

So not a question was asked, and our hands united instantaneously.

"And when we get there," he continued. "You might notice that you've… changed. Don't worry about it. CHAOS… CONTROL!"

At that, that same feeling of moving through space and time at the speed of sound occurred, and I was soon in a meadow by a forest. All of it looked rather pure and green, the air was filled with an exciting warmth, and I caught sight of a familiar sunflower resting calmly by a tree.

The same Void still fluctuated in the otherwise blue sky, though…

So this _was _Mobius. A land of granted dreams… for me, anyway.

Then, Shadow calmly let go of my hand, then grabbed ahold of his cloak and practically tore it off of himself. The black hedgehog with the red highlights and the serious demeanor… it was seriously him…

"Follow me," he said, looking at me. "Don't worry, everyone was expecting your arrival. _Some _have been eagerly awaiting it…"

The last sentence almost seemed to be murmured under his breath.

Most importantly… I had fur all over me… and it _grew _from me! I reached back and felt my own _tail _brush up against my hand. I felt my ears and my face, and everything came together.

Change. I was a fox now. A Mobian. One of them…

Sweet!


	12. Chapter 12

I just followed Shadow for what felt to be several minutes. Feeling the grass brush up against my pant legs… This was a true definition of nature.

I soon saw that we were approaching a tree that stood tall, almost like a warrior standing up to the sunshine.

When we retreated under its shade, Shadow stopped. I lost track and almost ran right into him.

"This is where everyone said they'd be meeting you," said Shadow.

At that, I sat. Now this was true relaxation within nature. Time to think, I suppose. Time to go over what the _hell _had just happened to me until something else happens.

And it wasn't even the fact that I was a Mobian, either. That, I was almost… hoping for. Is that weird?

But for three years, I was within the jaws of a trap set by a guy who saw me as a mere female rather than anyone he would ever truly love. Then, I more _literally _fell into the trap of a magician who actually meant better for me, despite what other things were running through his demented little head. And now, this.

Weary traveler… Where was that weary traveler? At this rate, why haven't I found him by now? Shadow. Was it Shadow?! Couldn't be…

As I sat, staring at the Void, which I had just spotted in the distance, I heard Shadow sit beside me and ask "So, uh… how is life?" Shadow. Asking something like _that_?

"Hectic," I huffed. "I… It was just… hectic."

He simply nodded.

"Do you think that thing will ever get closed?" I questioned, feeling a sudden sense of security with Shadow by my side.

"Hope so," he sighed. "It's out of our control."

Then, a voice. The first time my ears had picked up a sound I would eventually find to be sweeter that chocolate.

"They'll be able to manage it," it said confidently.

At that, we both looked up, and I caught sight of him. Yeah… _him_. The white hedgehog with the futuristic boots, the fluff of fur on his chest, and the eyes that were as golden as a painted sunset. He seemed just a bit familiar. He rung a jingle bell in my mind… and that's proportionate to if Sonic were to ring a church bell.

What was this guy's name?!

He walked up to us and instantly set eyes on me. His eyes almost seemed to flash my way. He then knelt down to talk to me, pure amazement seeming to circle his eyes.

"So you're the girl from Milky Way," he marveled. "You know so much. I'm really glad you were able to come here."

"Even if it's because of that?" I laughed, pointing up at the ever-growing Void. He joined in on my laugh, making me feel totally accomplished.

"Yeah, I guess," he shrugged and smiled. "I-I'm Silver. It's… really a pleasure to meet you!"

At that, he put a hand out for me to shake. That same amazement seemed to dance faster in his eyes.

I shook his hand gratefully… feeling an ever-so-slight blush coming on at the back of my skin.

He made me smile stupidly. An impossible feat for many a year's time. This guy was really cool, and for some reason… the desire to hang out with him held more than what met my mind's eye.

And unlike any guy… or anyone I ever knew, for that matter, Silver was staring straight into my eyes. Almost as if he was trying to form some sort of telepathic connection up between us.

Oh, Silver… you only made me blush even harder. You did what you were trying to, but in a completely different way.

Looking away and rubbing the back of his neck, he proposed "So… may I kinda show you around this general area?"

At that, he stood back up, but rather than starting to walk off like any other friend-like being, he extended a hand. I took it and stood up gratefully.

"Sure!" I continued to smile.

My heart felt warm.


	13. Chapter 13

All of a sudden, a blue blur melted into view in the distance. I barely knew the majestic young hedgehog standing in front of me, yet anyone could look at an azure blur and immediately recognize a different, speedier hedgehog.

I mean, I had heard the tales, but I had just taken my hand out of Silver's when Sonic appeared behind him, saying "Hey!" and scaring Silver out of his wits as a result.

He flinched in shock before turning around and saying "Oh… Hi, Sonic!"

"Hi!" Sonic chuckled a bit. "This was where everyone said the-"

He was cut off by nothing but the sight that entered his eyes when his head turned my way.

"The girl from Milky Way?" he asked, pointing at me skeptically.

"I… guess that's me," I giggled a bit. "So… I'm presuming that this isn't the Milky Way Galaxy?"

"You would be right," said Shadow.

"Wow," said Sonic. "I'm… almost a bit jealous. What's it like?"

Truth rose up from within my throat.

"Don't be jealous," I sighed. "Your world is beautiful no matter where you go. Back where I was, it's only beautiful in a few places. The rest of it is filled with a… mute modernization. It's not… too different, I guess."

Both Silver and Sonic were paying an intent attention to my answer. Shadow… only half so. His eyes were closed for a minute there, almost as if thoughts were running through his mind like asteroids through the Milky Way Galaxy's famous asteroid belt.

"You guys introduced her kindly, right?" asked Sonic.

"_I _was just about to show her around," Silver smiled triumphantly.

"Show her around?" asked Sonic, a laugh brewing in his tone. "Dude… give her a map. Do you remember how huge Mobius is? It takes me, like, 3 hours to run through it all!"

Shadow grunted "It would take _them _around three weeks if they never stopped."

"Oh…" Silver said, looking defeated and reddening just a bit. "…Yeah, that's true."

"I could get you one real quick!" said Sonic, right before taking off in nothing but his blur again… then returning in around 10 seconds flat and holding out a freshly folded map to me. "Here you go!"

"Thanks," I smiled, taking the map and looking it over. Hmm… I guess I'd like it here for more reasons than one. Twinkle Park, Emerald Coast… Very beautiful. How fun!

All of a sudden, a low, 5-second rumble could be heard from above us. A brewing thunderstorm, hidden in some way or form. Once it was over, we were all perplexed as we looked up at a perfectly blue sky.

Then, Sonic exclaimed.

"Hey, that purple thing shrunk!"

We looked over. Indeed, it was about half the size that it was now, as threatening as it still was. It still ate squares and attached itself to the sky as we knew it, yet from where we stood, it was about twice the size of a dime.

"There is a home set up for you, Juliet, just west of that forest," said Shadow.

"O-Oh!" I panicked just a bit. "I'm sorry! I never did reveal my name! Yeah… i-it's Juliet."

"Onward!" Silver chanted, leading the group to the west.

It felt to be a long walk, but my body did not like the shortest bike ride. We all eventually stopped, looking upon my place of residence. The paint hung on to the walls like mountain climbers without rope, but whatever was left was a pastel blue. The door was a turquoise. The mailbox waited patiently on the wall beside it. The porch was outlined with a white railing and about 5 pillars, and there were 3 rickety steps that would lead to it all.

I looked to both sides of me, more distant than Shadow and Silver. We were on a road? Huh. We were on a road, which was outlined with the occasional other house. To my left a long way was a farm, a long distance behind my house was a park, to my right a long distance was another yet denser forest, and behind me a long distance was a city, actually. I wondered how it got there.

"If you need us, we'll be around," Sonic shrugged. "My siblings and I actually live down the street." He pointed a thumb to the east.

Woah, what?! Oh… I had forgotten he had siblings for a second…

"Good to know," I smiled, stepping up the few steps and putting my hand on the metal doorknob of the first door. "Check on me every so often, please?"

"Of course!" said Silver. He seemed pretty excited to assure me of that. What a gentleman!

At that, I stepped inside. The bottom floor was ¾ white-carpeted living room, ¼ linoleum kitchen. Across from the white loveseat that rested by the kitchen was a television, and across from the front door was a set of red-painted and white-finished steps.

Quaint. I liked it.

*Silver's POV*

I had heard of tales from the Milky Way Galaxy. Within those processes, I was most likely going to cringe. Humanity there was so… self-centered. Everyone seemed to be out for blood and… *ahem* _pleasure_, dare I say. It was only like that for a percentage of Mobius; for Milky Way, it must have felt like being surrounded by active missiles.

How had such a sweet girl made it out of that with a working mindset and a polished conscience? She was a girl with a special soul. Her outlook was as bright as a billion Chaos Emeralds, her voice as fluttery as a butterfly in the wind, her eyes were as deep as a sea filled with lively life…

How had someone so _truly beautiful _lived through the war and the hatred of the Milky Way Galaxy?

A better question would go as follows: What was she doing to me?


End file.
